Just off the top, the Surface Pro 4 has some serious compromises — horsepower, ports, and the ability to use it on your lap come to mind. But in exchange you get a light, fast, high-performance touchscreen device for getting things done.

Matt Weinberger/Business Insider

In lieu of a mouse, it comes with the super great Microsoft Surface Pen stylus for handwriting and precise movements.

Matt Weinberger/Business Insider

Yet it doesn't really get to "Laptop Replacement" status without the $129 Surface Pro 4 Type Cover. Since the Surface Pro 4 comes with a full, no-holds-barred version of the Microsoft Windows 10 operating system, you need the keyboard to bring it up to its full potential.

Matt Weinberger/Business Insider

But the Surface Pro 4 Type Cover is great. It's backlit, the keys are beautifully spaced and comfortable to type on for prolonged periods, and the mouse trackpad is just slightly less responsive than Apple's legendary version of the same — which still makes it about a thousand times better than your average Windows laptop.

Matt Weinberger/Business Insider

Even with the case, the Surface Pro 4 is thin and light and totally graspable in one hand, if that's how you want to swing it. Note the funky "Surface Connect" charger, which sits flush on the bottom.

Matt Weinberger/Business Insider

That lightness and flexibility has other advantages. Kind of like an Apple iPad Smart Cover, it can fold back on itself to make a stand.

Matt Weinberger/Business Insider

The Surface Pro stands up by using a kickstand that folds out from the back of the device. The disadvantage is that it doesn't really stay up if you don't have anything to brace it against.

Matt Weinberger/Business Insider

Which means that the Surface Pro 4 is a laptop that's not actually great at sitting on your lap. This isn't actually something I do a lot, and I tend to use it in its tablet setting in those scenarios, but this is definitely something to be aware of.

Matt Weinberger/Business Insider

On the other hand, the kickstand means that you can place the device in all kinds of various configurations to meet your needs. I folded it this way so I could read a link and take notes on the included OneNote app during a Skype call.

Matt Weinberger/Business Insider

There are other compromises with the Surface Pro 4. The main body of the device itself has only one USB port, plus a mini-HDMI port for external monitors, plus that weirdo charger.

Matt Weinberger/Business Insider

The other side has only a headphone jack and a magnet to clip on the Surface Pen stylus.

Matt Weinberger/Business Insider

There's one saving grace. The Surface Pro 4's power supply, the thing that sits between the wall and the device, has a USB port. But it can only handle power, not data. In other words, I can use it to charge my phone — as I'm doing here — but not sync it.

Matt Weinberger/Business Insider

But there's a lot of stuff that a MacBook can't do. The Microsoft Surface Pen, for example, has become my new best friend. Click the button on the back once, and it launches OneNote. It takes a screenshot for me to edit with the stylus. Hold it down, and you get Cortana, the Windows 10 personal digital assistant. Turn it upside down and it's an eraser, just like a pencil.

Matt Weinberger/Business Insider

Actually drawing with the Surface Pro 4 is a breeze. There's no real lag, so writing isn't a chore. And by using Microsoft OneNote, my scribbles get synced to my iPhone and other devices, too. I've taken to using the Surface Pro 4 for all my notes.

Matt Weinberger/Business Insider

Since the Surface Pro 4 runs a full version of Windows 10, you get all the best parts of Windows, too. Not only can you split screen apps, which is nice when I'm writing a story based on notes I've taken in OneNote, ...

Matt Weinberger/Business Insider

... but you can evenly split the screen four ways. It's not always necessary, but when you use it for things like moving files around, it's handy — especially for touch.

Matt Weinberger/Business Insider

Another cool thing is that you can log in with your face, with what Microsoft calls "Windows Hello." They say it's impossible to fool. And it works a lot of the time.

Matt Weinberger/Business Insider

While the Surface Pro 4 doesn't have a lot of juice for gaming, Windows 10 can stream games from an Xbox One console over a local Wi-Fi network via the built-in Xbox app. So while hardcore PC gamers probably won't like it, the Surface Pro 4 can be good for games for most people.

The Xbox app in Windows 10 is like Facebook for your gaming life.Business Insider/Matt Weinberger

With access to all that desktop software, including full-featured web browsers, it can do most everything. For instance, even though there's no official Google Hangouts app for the struggling Windows Store app market, you can still get to it from the browser like on any other computer.

Screenshot/Matt Weinberger

But it doesn't have certain popular mobile apps, like Snapchat.

Max Slater-Robins / BI

In a lot of ways, the Surface Book laptop — which I haven't tried — seems to address a lot of those compromises, with a hinged connection that stays up on its own and a ton more graphical horsepower for movies and games. But it also carries a higher price tag: It starts at $1,499.

Microsoft

Despite how much I loved using it, I can't recommend the Surface Pro 4 because of what seems to be some glitchy hardware. My first one had what Microsoft promises was a fluky hardware error, and kept throwing me Windows 10's completely adorable version of the Blue Screen of Death. Eventually, it failed completely. I can't even turn it on now.

Wikimedia Commons

I was willing to give Microsoft the benefit of the doubt, especially since my replacement seemed to be fine. But after about a week, this second Surface Pro 4 started registering "phantom clicks" in the top-right of the screen, which constantly selected, moved, and closed windows — and I wasn't even touching the screen. This was apparently a known issue with the Surface Pro 3, but we haven't seen many complaints about it with the SP4, and Microsoft told us they haven't seen this problem at scale. Regardless, I can't use it anymore either, which is super disappointing.

See that little bubble just above the center? That means the Surface Pro 4 is registering a touch that isn't there.Matt Weinberger/Business Insider

Microsoft sent both of these units as review units, and claims that they were from an early batch. Still, it's hard to rely on a machine that might just stop working like this. If you're having similar issues, we'd love to hear about it.

For me, personally, the Surface Pro 4 just perfectly matches the way I work, compromises and all. It's light, it's fast, and it has the tools I need and want to get stuff done — at least, when it works. But how does it stack up against the Apple iPad Pro, the new challenger? Stay tuned ...